Camper vans ?

[The Nal]

What's your opinion of what a Tipi is? I see them as nothing more than a tall and in vogue tent!

[Swine_Glasto2014]

Stayed in my camper past three glastonbury's. Woukd never dream of not taking it for the luxury you have at the top of the hill of death!

U shut the door after stumbling back and that it, dark, quiet, dry and safe.

Fresh water easily available, good food, can have a fire, get ya gazebos up and not worry about taking to much room up.

We got straight in on Tueaday and straight out Monday night.

It's alot tidier too, no mess left

[Swine_Glasto2014]

Bbq problems???

[progue]

First time this year with campervan, after years of tenting,probably wont do it again, nice to be able to be able to wash and sleep in a bed, but long walk into site, noisey neighbours, noisey kids and fucking barbecues. Ok I may be expecting to much, but afraid it spoilt it for us, wasnt allowed to move to another pitch. We left a 6pm on Sunday, this was a planned time but I was really glad to get out of there, other than the this and the lousey weather I can honestly say I really had a good time. Should I get a ticket next yesr I wont be in the campervan, looking at Worthy ready pitched tents next time, ok will still have the walk, but hopefully a bit more peace and no fires or barbecues. Anyone used Worthy Heights this year, if so whst did you hire and how did you get one. Before someone says normal camping areas, thats something I dont want to do again, at 67 next time all that cramped camping is no longer for me,

[UEF]

CV is unbeatable if you ask me, so many positives:

- Proper brekky in the van, saves money, so much better than on-site offerings.

- Plentiful ice-cold drinks, snacks etc on hand at your camp throughout the festival

- Private shower and toilet, absolutely priceless, all your usual toiletries etc

- Clean clothes hanging in the wardrobe not mashed up in your rucksack

- Huge communal area outside van with shade, table/chairs, BBQ etc.

- Comfy seating/table in warm van to sit around when you get back early hours

- Decent sound system for campsite tunes

- Charge your phone from the leisure battery

- Big comfy bed, duvet, pillows

- Darkness and no tent heat in the mornings = proper nice sleep

- No lugging your stuff on/off site

- Privacy, nobody unzipping or falling on your tent in the night

- More secure than tents, fully lockable

- Loads of boot space to bring whatever you want with you (e.g. massive coolbox full of beers)

- Arrive earlier / leave later

- No queuing outside the gate

Negatives:

- long walk in/out of site each day (more predictable from west side)

- cost

[Wooderson]

Our camper experience was ace.

[Swine_Glasto2014]

I haven't got a shower! Wet wipes are just as good.

Basically the guidelines are to stop loads of people flooding the field with a hired van with a mattress in the back. They are very strict with that which imo is a good thing.

[neilloggie]

Buying a campervan is a minefield and can be a costly exercise, i love my t25 but it has been a complete money pit, 2 years running we have had gearbox problems on the way to Glastonbury, i think next year i will leave home on Sunday night ,take all the b roads and not drive above 30mph.

[drewsstrat]

Don't forget trailer tents are allowed. They are low maintenance, relatively cheap, but take a few to sort the awning. We had one, a caravan, a cv and two small tents in our group in e20. Trailer tents can have huge living areas and cookers. It was great from Tuesday to Thursday cooking in camp and it allowed little luxuries such a toilet, and we had fire pit, and I took a guitar for sing around fire. We have plenty of room, but I thought there were smaller fire lanes than normal in our field. I also took boxes of cider (more than you could carry camping) so had 3 litres scrumpy to start day off... Therefore my spend was lower than normal. £85 gives you pitch and isn't pp.

[JoeyT]

I'm also looking in to camper options. I have a few friends who own them but don't come to the festival so will look at the borrowing route next year as I'm saving for a house at the moment.

[ThomThomDrum]

First time this year with campervan, after years of tenting,probably wont do it again, nice to be able to be able to wash and sleep in a bed, but long walk into site, noisey neighbours, noisey kids and fucking barbecues. Ok I may be expecting to much, but afraid it spoilt it for us, wasnt allowed to move to another pitch.

[chrislfc]

We hired a motorhome in 2011 for £800 for the week when we first decided to use a campervan.

Very nice vehicle worth about £30k but all sorts of insurance conditions so i was shitting it in case anything went wrong.

So we decided to buy a 2nd hand tourer for last years festival which cost us £900.

We used it this year too so we've had two years out of it without any worries of paying voluntary excesses etc.

The main benefit for me is that coming in from Liverpool to the West Campervan field on the Tuesday is completely free of queueing and getting out on the Monday at any time of the day likewise is a straight run out of Glastonbury to the motorway. I don't know if they stagger the traffic to allow the caravans off site but my previous 6 Glastonbury festivals in a normal car consisted of waiting all day in the car parks to get out and that is not a nice way to end the festival. Plus you've got the headache of waiting for hours to get in and pitch a tent.

The walk to the entrance gate is only 2 minutes and then it's 10 minutes maximum to the railway track in good weather, hardly an arduous treck.

We have frineds who also sleep in the awning attached to the tourer so you can in theory get about 6 or 7 people in with you if you tow it with a people carrier. Hardly worth worrying about the £85 if you're saving loads on ale and food as already said.

My advice would be to swerve the motorhome companies and buy a 2nd hand tourer for about £600 if you've got space to park one outside your house and are comfortable with towing.

I am going to save up for a decent converted van over the next few years though as towing can be a pain in the arse and vans tend to hold their value. I'm also scarred of getting a flatty on the van. Seen a few of them on the way up and down the motorway last week.

I've never been in the East Fields but the West is so small you're only a ten minute walk away from the dairy grounds anyway.

The security seems great as i've never heard of any problems in the West the last three fezzies.

You'd be surprised how comfortable a caravan bed is though so sometimes you miss the opening acts having a lie in. But of course you don't boil to death like you do in a tent when the sun comes up after you've had 4 hours kip.

[Lexbank]

First time this year with campervan, after years of tenting,probably wont do it again, nice to be able to be able to wash and sleep in a bed, but long walk into site, noisey neighbours, noisey kids and fucking barbecues. Ok I may be expecting to much, but afraid it spoilt it for us, wasnt allowed to move to another pitch. We left a 6pm on Sunday, this was a planned time but I was really glad to get out of there, other than the this and the lousey weather I can honestly say I really had a good time. Should I get a ticket next yesr I wont be in the campervan, looking at Worthy ready pitched tents next time, ok will still have the walk, but hopefully a bit more peace and no fires or barbecues. Anyone used Worthy Heights this year, if so whst did you hire and how did you get one. Before someone says normal camping areas, thats something I dont want to do again, at 67 next time all that cramped camping is no longer for me,

[eFestivals]

That list certainly does sell the idea. I had a quick look at Autotrader and the starting price for anything with shower facilities is about £2750 (and that's stuff built in 1989/1990 or so)... is that normal or can Glasto-ready campers be had cheaper?

my cv hasn't got a shower or bog - and to be honest I'm very glad it hasn't. If nothing else it's living space in the van rather than almost-always wasted space. There's less space in a van than you might imagine, when you're actually trying to exist within it's confines.

I paid around that amount for my van 3 years ago. It's now worth around double that amount, in part because they don't really devalue (it's a VW T25), and in part because any maintenance spends done on it are done to ensure longevity rather than to be the cheapest price (tho I've spent less on it than the rise in value, and would have to be spending much of that spend anyway).

[eFestivals]

Buying a campervan is a minefield and can be a costly exercise, i love my t25 but it has been a complete money pit, 2 years running we have had gearbox problems on the way to Glastonbury, i think next year i will leave home on Sunday night ,take all the b roads and not drive above 30mph.

It's luck of the draw to a certain extent because some things will always be hard to spot in any used vehicle.

My own T25 hasn't been a money pit, tho money gets spent on it to help ensure its condition is kept up. Any old vehicle is going to have more and more things fail on it as time goes by, so it's important to keep on top of things so it's not letting you down when you want to be using it.

I'm gonna need a new engine within a year or two, and that's going to cost something like £2k (including fitting) for a worthwhile reconditioned lump - and as it's a cost I know is coming, it's an expenditure I'm already factoring in to my financial planning. And when I spend that £2k, I'll be adding at least £1k to the van's value, so it's not all bad.

[Leoness]

CV is unbeatable if you ask me, so many positives:

- Proper brekky in the van, saves money, so much better than on-site offerings.

- Plentiful ice-cold drinks, snacks etc on hand at your camp throughout the festival

- Private shower and toilet, absolutely priceless, all your usual toiletries etc

- Clean clothes hanging in the wardrobe not mashed up in your rucksack

- Huge communal area outside van with shade, table/chairs, BBQ etc.

- Comfy seating/table in warm van to sit around when you get back early hours

- Decent sound system for campsite tunes

- Charge your phone from the leisure battery

- Big comfy bed, duvet, pillows

- Darkness and no tent heat in the mornings = proper nice sleep

- No lugging your stuff on/off site

- Privacy, nobody unzipping or falling on your tent in the night

- More secure than tents, fully lockable

- Loads of boot space to bring whatever you want with you (e.g. massive coolbox full of beers)

- Arrive earlier / leave later

- No queuing outside the gate

Negatives:

- long walk in/out of site each day (more predictable from west side)

- cost

The walk in/out of site doesn't really bother us. Once we're in for the day that's it until early hours, we've never been ones for going back and forth to our camp.

We looked into hiring but were put off by the prices so decided to buy a second hand motorhome and use it for Glastonbury and family holidays, which are now much cheaper and the savings more than offset the depreciation/maintenance. It's not for everyone, but our kids love it and so do we - best thing we ever bought really.

[autoinflate]

That list certainly does sell the idea. I had a quick look at Autotrader and the starting price for anything with shower facilities is about £2750 (and that's stuff built in 1989/1990 or so)... is that normal or can Glasto-ready campers be had cheaper?

Edited July 3, 2014 by autoinflate

[autoinflate]

my cv hasn't got a shower or bog - and to be honest I'm very glad it hasn't. If nothing else it's living space in the van rather than almost-always wasted space. There's less space in a van than you might imagine, when you're actually trying to exist within it's confines.

[Swine_Glasto2014]

You can pick up a self built motorhome for around £3k.

Don't listen to all the scare mongering, it's bollox imo. I know loads of ppl who have fitted and kitted out transits ( mine included) that last for years.

Don't go and buy a vw or a coach built

By a transit for or a sprinter or a relay for around 2 grand and kit it out.

There are a handful of excellence self build websites on the Web that will help you.

[eFestivals]

Also depends what kind of van you have really, on full-size Motorhomes a bathroom is generally considered essential and you don't find many without them.

true ... tho they don't empty themselves, and they make the van smell.

[eFestivals]

Don't go and buy a vw

They're actually the best to buy, because they hold their value. A transit won't.

[autoinflate]

true ... tho they don't empty themselves, and they make the van smell.

[autoinflate]

They're actually the best to buy, because they hold their value. A transit won't.

[gorfield]

first time in a camper for me and cant see me ever going back to a tent!

we stayed in west - and arrived Thursday lunchtime so quite far from the gate.

the number 1 benefit for me - NOT HAVING TO WALK MILES WITH ALL YOUR STUFF!! this nearly breaks me every year and is always the reason that I consider not doing it again the following year.

Pull up - handbrake on, chairs out, open a beer! as opposed to getting all your stuff on your back - walking for 1-2 miles stopping every 100 metres to adjust something that is digging in. Finding a spot, putting your tent up, going BACK to the car to get the rest of your stuff... Never again!

We easily made up the £85 extra cost by the amount of food and booze we could take. we only bought 4 drinks on site all weekend.

it was quiet at night

It was warm

lots of space

no hoards of teenagers who cant handle their booze

no fear of someone robbing your tent in the night

cons - big queue to get through security and into the festival on Friday lunchtime

you have to keep your ticket very safe as you need it to get in and out

Very long walk back from the pyramid - about an hour after a headliner

there's not really much chance to nip back to the van as its very far away

we had a bike trailer though so fully loaded it with everything we would need for the day

[tvrobbie]

I've borrowed my brothers Mazda Bongo the last 2 years and stayed in West CV field. Can't imagine ever going back to tents now. Bongos are a people carrier conversion that can sleep 2 or 3. And can have a big awning that can sleep another couple of people.

No shower, but you can have a cooker system or take camping stove and can always pack a solar shower. I used to camp in South Park and the West fields are only 5 mins walk from where i used to camp. Makes a huge difference being in the CV fields. Warmer, quieter, more sedate, quicker to get in and out.

You can pick a bongo up for around £3k and as they're a Mazda, they're fairly cheap to repair and there's a great community of owners and specialists.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Cars-Motorcycles-Vehicles-/9800/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=MAZDA+BONGO

Actually what the hell am i saying, the more recommendations Camper Vans get, the worse it'll be to get a CV pass. In that case, it's horrible. Full of poisonous snakes, Mexican banditos, Ebola and volcanoes. Don't do it. Stay in your tents.